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VJ Patterson
'Vincent Alexandros "VJ" Patterson '''is the only son of Leah Patterson-Baker and Vinnie Patterson. He was the stepson of Dan Baker and Zac MacGuire. He's also the stepbrother of Ryan Baker. He's also the step cousin of Denny Miller, Oscar MacGuire and Evelyn McGuire. He's also the legal father of Luc Patterson and widower of her mother Billie Ashford. He is also a former possible love interest of Coco Astoni. VJ left the bay for Greece in 2017 in order to protect his and Billie's daughter Luc from her blood related father, Mick Jennings. Casting The character made his first appearance on 30 November 2001 when he was born to established characters Leah (Ada Nicodemou) and Vinnie Patterson (Ryan Kwanten). From his introduction, VJ has been played by eleven different child actors. These include Carlo Teodorowych, Jack Monger, Max Theoharis, Marcus Spinetti, Jack Riddle, Harry Roberts, James Roberts, Nicholas Stevens, Cameron Stevens and Cooper Scott. Felix Dean was cast in the role in 2007. Nicodemou viewed Dean as a "surrogate son" and felt the same way that Leah does for VJ. She has also stated that she became attached to each actor that has played VJ. In May 2014, Nicodemou confirmed that the character had been recast once again. Dean finished filming earlier in the year, while VJ went off-screen for a while. Of the new actor, Nicodemou explained "We've got a new bloke, Matt, who's started in the role. He is really lovely and eager. I think he's going to be really, really popular as well." The actress added that VJ would be all grown up when he returns, as the producers wanted him to look older. On 31 August 2014, it was confirmed that Matthew Little had taken over the role. Little was cast shortly after he completed a brief stint in rival soap opera ''Neighbours. He said, "I was facing unemployment and literally got the call, so it was a relief to be offered another job to be honest." Storylines On the day VJ is born, his father Vinnie is arrested for fraud and later stands trial. Vinnie is found guilty and sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment. VJ's mother Leah struggles to raise him despite assistance from VJ's uncle Alex Poulos (Danny Raco). Further problems arise with the discovery that VJ has a hearing impairment and needs a cochlear operation to repair it. Jesse McGregor, Vinnie's friend, supports VJ and Leah through this difficult time and becomes a father figure to VJ. Leah is left devastated when she learns of Vinnie's apparent death. Jesse and Leah get together but break up and Leah begins dating Dan Baker who proposes and she accepts. On VJ's third birthday, Vinnie, revealed to be alive in witness protection visits in the guise of a teddy bear and leaves a letter telling Leah and VJ to move with their lives. VJ is left injured when Dan's son Ryan (Issac Gorman) sets fire to Dan and Leah's wedding invitations but makes a recovery. In spite of Ryan's behaviour, Leah and Dan marry and VJ gains a new father figure and stepbrother. Early into Leah and Dan's marriage, there is disharmony when Dan gets into debt through gambling and VJ's life is threatened by Dan's creditors. The final straw comes when VJ drinks some left-over alcohol while Dan falls asleep while watching him. VJ is rushed to hospital and Leah is furious but he recovers and Leah eventually forgives Dan and they reconcile. When Alex returns the following year, his drug dealing is uncovered when VJ finds Alex's tablets and nearly takes them. Leah banishes Alex as a result. Further family upheaval occurs when Ryan decides to go back to live with his mother Amanda Vale (Holly Brisley) in the city and Dan takes a new job in America and plans for Leah and VJ to join him. However, Dan dies in an abseiling accident and VJ is without a father once again. VJ is kidnapped by Brian Lawler for a ransom of $25,000 but is freed when the police catch up with Brian. He then begins acting up and then admits that he is being bullied by older boys. Miles tries to help VJ but it backfires when Miles is charged with assaulting VJ's bully, Riley Radcliffe (Tani Edgecombe), and problems escalate. After a newspaper article portrays Miles in a bad light, VJ angrily confronts Riley and throws his bag into the sea. He then overhears Riley's dad, Ian (Ben Simpson), shouting at him for getting his mobile phone wet and tells Miles, Leah and Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher). The charges against Miles are dropped. Elijah, the new reverend at St James' church, helps VJ ease into his first day of High School and VJ quickly warms to him. After initial anger about the knowledge of Vinnie's death being kept from him, VJ asks Elijah to take him and Leah to Vinnie's final resting place in order to achieve closure. Elijah and Leah's relationship breaks up but VJ keeps secretly continues to keep in contact with Elijah when he beings missionary work in Africa. VJ befriends Lily Smith (Charlie Rose Maclennan), who was born on the same day as him and they engineer a plan to sneak off to Africa to see Elijah. They hitch hike but get nervous when the driver wants to take them to his house and they hide in a nearby garage, where detectives Robert Robertson (Socratis Otto) and Graves (Eryn-Jean Norvill) find them. When the River Boys arrive in Summer Bay, VJ joins them for a surf but is knocked of his board by a wave and rescued by Heath Braxton (Dan Ewing). He begins idolising the group, but Leah sees them as a bad influence. When Jett James (Will McDonald) arrives in Summer Bay, he initially bullies VJ and steals his belongings. They soon become friends. Jamie Sharpe (Hugo Johnstone-Burt) becomes obsessed with Leah and VJ. When he threatens them, Leah takes VJ on a long trip to get away from him. A few months later, they return to the Bay and surprise everyone in the Diner. VJ discovers Jett is dating Nina Bailey (Emmy Dougall), whom he fell out with during primary school over a missing Pokémon card. Sally Fletcher (Kate Ritchie) returns and tells Leah that her daughter, Pippa Saunders, who Leah carried as a surrogate, has mitochondrial disease. Leah gets VJ tested and he is given the all-clear. Pippa didn't know about it until VJ and Jett told her about her disease and VJ and Jett felt stupid to tell her. When Zac's nephew Oscar stays with them, VJ gets along with him well and lets him play some video games. VJ unknowingly helps Murray, who was looking for Oscar where he lives with Zac. VJ (now played by Matt Little) was angry at Leah for not telling him about her relationship with Zac after watching Matt Page's (Alex Snow) video of Zac and Leah kissing. VJ moved in the Summer Bay House with Leah, Zac, Oscar and Evie after his house was burnt. He meets a girl at the beach named Olivia Fraser Richards (Raechelle Banno) after he sees her lying on his towel. Afterwards, VJ and Olivia steal a couple of bikes to show her around town. They later take Leah's car for a joyride. VJ develops feelings for Olivia, but she does not like him that way. They then agree to just be friends. VJ attends to Leah and Zac's wedding and is one of Zac's bestmen, along with Oscar, Matt and Zac's teenage son, Hunter King (Scott Lee). VJ found out that Hunter burnt down the house and framed Billie Ashford (Tessa de Josselin) a few months ago, after Hunter confess at court. VJ bullies Hunter at school and basketball practice. But VJ makes peace with Hunter after some advice from Billie. VJ and Skye Peters (Marlo Kelly) sneaks into a university party at Angelo's and VJ became drunk. Billie found them and takes VJ out of the party. VJ develops a crush on Billie and works at the Surf Club until late, since Billie works at the gym. Skye sees his crush on Billie and tries to make him admit it. VJ admits to Skye that he likes Billie a lot and asked Skye to play his girlfriend to make Billie jealous, and also to make Oscar jealous too. Billie tells VJ that she doesn't feel the same way. VJ was devastated when Oscar and Hannah died from a caravan explosion and comforts Billie about Oscar's death. She kisses him and they had sex, and VJ loses his virginity. VJ thought she was going to tell him that it's a mistake, but she replies that it's not. VJ attends to Oscar and Hannah's funerals and after the funeral, he told Hunter about his first time with Billie. VJ and Billie became a couple and Leah disapproves of VJ and Billie's relationship, due to the gap age. But Leah accepts anyway. VJ found out from Billie's brother Martin Ashford (George Mason) that Billie is pregnant with his child and VJ worries about being a teenage father. Billie decided to keep the child and VJ and Billie plans things for the baby. VJ was annoyed when Olivia was rude to Billie, and tells her to apologize to Billie. When VJ turned 18, he proposed to Billie, but she turns him down, upsetting him. He plans to leave for a while, until Billie stops him from leaving, by telling him to ask her to marry him. He proposed to her again and she accepts. VJ was about to tell Phoebe about the engagement, but Billie stops him by interrupting, realised that she doesn't want to tell anyone about the engagement, not even Ash, and the agree not to tell anyone yet. However, VJ told everyone at the diner, and they were happy for them. During his bucks night with Matt, Ash and Mason Morgan (Orpheus Pledger), VJ climbs on a the roof of a go cart and jumps off. VJ woke up in hospital the next day with his arms wrapped in bandages, realising he had broken his arms. When Ash told VJ that Billie decided to cancel the wedding, VJ begs her not to. But Billie told him that she's not cancelling the wedding. Ash and Mason told VJ that his arms are fine, and they wrapped it as a joke. During the wedding vows, Billie ran off and told VJ that she lied about him being the father and that the baby isn't his. Billie told VJ that she was raped before they were a couple. VJ and Billie decided to wait for marriage. VJ found out that Irene's estranged, mental son, Mick Jennings (Kristian Schmid), is Billie's rapist. During the firestorm incident, Billie went into labour and VJ took her to the hospital, but on the way, Billie's car broke down, so VJ decided to carry Billie all the way to the hospital. At the hospital, she gave birth to a girl named Luc Patterson. Leah didn't approve the given name when VJ told her that Luc is short for Lucinda as she doesn't understand why Luc wasn't called Lucy. Billie told VJ that Mick had kidnapped Luc and the couple went to find her, but luckily, Irene found Luc and returned her to VJ and Billie. During Luc's baby blessing, Billie collapsed and VJ found out that Billie had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, and only had a few days left to live. VJ and Billie got married at the hospital, surrounded by family and friends. After the wedding, Billie asked VJ to take her and Luc to the beach and watch the sunrise one last time. VJ, Billie and Luc sat by the beach and watched the sunrise, as Billie died peacefully in his arms. VJ and Luc arrived at the hospital where Ash, Leah and Zac were waiting for them and VJ told them that Billie had died. Ash was furious at VJ for taking Billie away to her death, without him getting a last chance to say goodbye and punches VJ. VJ struggles with Luc and with his studies and he lashes and takes it out on Luc. VJ decided to get custody of Luc and gets into a custody war with Ash and Irene, who wants custody of Luc too. However, Ash won custody and VJ agrees to let Luc live with Ash. VJ struggles to move on from Billie and he had a one night stand with Rebecca Brown. VJ meets Coco Astoni and he asked her out. But Leah interrupts the date, telling VJ that Coco is 16. VJ kindly rejects Coco, who likes him. VJ almost caught Coco making herself sick. He later teaches Coco and Jennifer Dutton to surf, but Coco faints. When VJ learned from Ash that Mick is back in town, VJ takes Ash’s side as the lad wants Mick gone. VJ gets into a fight with Mick, who is truly Luc’s real father and wanting Luc for custody and refuse to change his mind. Fear for Luc’s life, VJ’s family decided that Luc should leave Summer Bay with VJ and he and Ash agrees, if they want Luc to be safe away from Mick. The night before his departure, Leah gave VJ his late father, Vinnie’s wedding ring. The next day, Irene distracts Mick from taking Luc, while VJ and Luc flees Summer Bay by plane. VJ says goodbye to his mum and Ash before he and Luc flew out Summer Bay for good. VJ later sends a letter to Leah, asking him if she miss him already. Relationships Leah Patterson-Baker -Mother Vinnie Patterson- Father (Deceased) Dan Baker -Stepfather (Deceased) Zac MacGuire -Stepfather Jett James -Best friend, Former Enemy Hunter King -Stepbrother, Former Rival Oscar MacGuire -Best friend, Step-Cousin (Deceased) Evelyn MacGuire -Best friend, Step-Cousin Matt Page -Best friend Olivia Fraser Richards - Best friend, Former Crush Billie Ashford - Wife (Deceased) Luc Patterson -Stepdaughter, Legal Daughter Trivia * VJ's portrayer, Matt Little was the real-life former brother-in-law of Dan Ewing, who played Heath Braxton on the show. * Matt's older sister, Marni Little was Dan Ewing's wife. 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